20 Facts about Ino Yamanaka
by Green Rainboots
Summary: The title should say it all. But it's not a ridiculous or cracky list.


_Next story in my line of 20 Facts for Naruto characters._

_To avoid confusion, I'd like to point out that no, none of these are actual facts found in the manga or the anime. I've made it all up. I based it on what I think is realistic and what could be possible, but none of it is actually real, according to neither the manga nor the anime. And if some of them are, then I'm not sure I know it._

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1. Ino never wanted to end her friendship with Sakura. That's why she put her heart and soul into their rivalry. It was the remains of their friendship, the leftovers of their relationship, and Ino wasn't about to let that go and let them become nothing to each other.

2. She always knew she never had a chance with Sasuke. He was focused on his training from day one at the academy.

3. Before Sasuke's departure, Ino was well aware of the fact that she didn't exceed in anything really important. She's a good ninja and she always has been, but she never stood out. It only got worse after her fight with Sakura, because Sakura had definitely improved.

4. This fact is the reason why Ino used to scold and shout at Shikamaru and Choji. It made her feel better about herself. After she studies under Lady Tsunade, she stopped, because her training made her feel good about herself.

5. Ino's smart. She knows that a lot of their friends envy Naruto for his outstanding abilities. And she knows that while Sasuke's jealousy was practically famous when they were younger, Sakura is now the one who envies him the most.

6. Ino sees Shikamaru as a brother. Nothing more, nothing less.

7. For some unexplainable reason, she sees Choji a little bit differently than she sees Shikamaru.

8. Ino was surprised that out of her and Sakura, **she** was the first to lose her crush on Sasuke. Sakura was the one who got to know him better, see the darker sides of his mystery, and the one who got the most hurt by him – at least out of the two of them – and yet she continued to be in love with him for **years** after his unpleasant departure.

9. Ino's first real scare was when she heard what had happened during the first Sasuke retrieval-mission. It was the first time she realized that Choji's weight is something to be appreciated. It was the first time she was scared that all of them, including Neji, whom she didn't know very well back then, could die, because it was the first time she came face to face with **that** possibility.

10. She has always known that Shinobi die. It's not something that people hide. She just never realized just how close to home it can hit before Asuma died. When she came home from **that** mission, she hugged both her parents and told them that she loved them, and the following day, she told Sakura that she cares about her as a friend. Just because she wanted them to know, in case they die, or she herself dies.

11. It wasn't until she became a medical ninja, and focused on healing others, not harming them, that Ino realized she can't bring herself to kill anyone, and she hates the one-way opportunity with a passion.

12. Ino once asked her father why he decided to become a florist and cut down on his ninja missions. Inoichi replied that he did so because he wanted to make sure that he was around to take care of a very special flower during its critical times. Ino is pretty sure that that special flower is her.

13. She's a very competitive girl, but she prefers to put her heart in a competition she knows she has a chance of winning. That's why she usually doesn't compete with anyone other than Sakura.

14. Ino is plainly and often creeped out by Shino. It's not that she hates him, but he creeps her out.

15. Ino doesn't know much about people. But she knows a lot about flowers. So she feels like she helps others a bit when she gives advice on what kind of flowers you give to your sick sister, what kind of flowers you give to someone you love, and what kind of flowers are appropriate for a first date.

16. She knows that she's one of the most average ones among her friends, and that scares her, because there are frighteningly few average people in that group.

17. She appreciates being average every time she sees the ways the others are not. Naruto, Sasuke, Neji, Lee, Sakura. They're challenged and have been since a young age at the very least, and more so than anyone, including Shinobi, should be challenged.

18. Ino has lost count of how many times she has been saved by someone else. By now she has gotten used to being a damsel in distress, and then be the savior once she's saved.

19. She's a very pretty girl, and she has always known this, in fact, she has always taken pride in it. It just took her some time to realize that she can be pretty without having to be on a constant diet. And her training as a ninja keeps her slim.

20. When Ino recalls her happiest memory, she recalls when she woke up after her battle against Sakura in the preliminary rounds of the first Chunin Exam they partook in. Her happiest memory is reconciling with her very best friend.


End file.
